Developer: Mass Media Publisher: Namco
Released: October 31, 1999 6/10 Rated: E
The Namco Museum series began only a few years earlier with the first of five volumes released for Playstation in 1996 and 1997, though there’s a good chance retro enthusiasts have only seen two of those volumes in person while perusing the shelves of their local game shops: Volume 1 and Volume 3. This is because these two volumes boast Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man, respectively, along with a couple of other staple Namco titles, while the average consumer would likely have had a tough time identifying most, if not all, of the titles that make up the remaining three releases.
This forms the crux of how Namco Museum titles, starting with our only N64 iteration, would be compiled going forward and into the next console generation, with subsequent updates making sure to boast all of the heavy hitters of the catalog along with whatever hidden gems might get tossed in alongside the likes of Galaga and Dig Dug. Namco Museum 64, then, isn’t the most robust or unique lineup of games featured in a Namco Museum release, or any arcade compilation, for that matter. But its strength lies in the fact that it exemplifies the “all killer, no filler” approach with arguably the six most essential titles of Namco’s resume: Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaxian, Galaga, Dig Dug, and Pole Position. Even with a couple of options from the next tier of popular titles, perhaps Xevious or Dragon Spirit, it seems unlikely to argue against these six as the gold standard.
And this is what we get, just the way the Dreamcast and GameBoy Advance would follow with the same exact lineup. Though it lacks, well, anything at all in terms of frills, and is obviously outdone in depth and presentation by editions like PS2 era’s Namco Museum 50th Anniversary, the Wii’s Namco Museum Megamix, and the recent generation’s Pac-Man Museum+, which more than doubles the number of available games with Pac-Man titles alone, I think many casual fans would have easily traded the fancy museum exploration featured across multiple PS1 discs for this package. Convenient and straightforward, you would still only have to purchase Volumes 1 and 3 to get all the games featured on Namco Museum 64, all of which play great on an N64 D-Pad and don’t take up more than a few notes on your controller pak to save high scores. Obsolete by modern standards and lacking in the glamor of its disc-based comrades, but still as tight and essential as a package like this gets and it’s hard not to respect that.
Continuing Legacy
Namco still sells the same games over and over again to us, and we keep buying them, so why should they stop? The most recent packages for modern consoles like Switch, PS4/5, and Xbox One/Series have started to include late-’80s fare like Splatterhouse and Galaga ‘88. Similarly, Pac-Man Museum+ offers an entirely Pac-Man focused take on the formula, with titles spanning up until the modern era such as Pac-Man Championship Edition. Unfortunately, though, Ms. Pac-Man remains noticeably absent from many recent Namco compilations, due to still-ongoing royalty issues between Namco and original rights-holders General Computer Corporation.
Additional Information
Saves: Controller Pak (High Scores)
Players: 2 alternating in most games, 1 in Pole Position
Compatible with: No Accessories
Print Guides: None
Aggregate Critical Reception (GameRankings): 73.43%, based on 7 reviews
Other releases: North America only
